Nursing garments

ABSTRACT

A nursing garment comprises material defining first and second openings, proximate a wearer&#39;s first and second breast. First and second zippers may be provided to selectively open and close the first and second openings, and first and second flaps may be defined to substantially cover the zipper teeth and zipper heads of the zippers. An inner lining has a periphery having a front portion extending in front of and below the user&#39;s breasts when wearing the garment, wherein a first, upper periphery portion connected, at least in part, to the material and a second, lower front periphery portion not connected to the material. The second front periphery portion and a portion of the front portion are movable from below the wearer&#39;s breasts to above the wearer&#39;s breasts to expose at least one cup of the nursing bra and/or at least one breast.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/050,515, which was filed on Sep. 15, 2014, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/107,596, which was filed on Jan. 26, 2015, both of which are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Nursing garments are items of clothing, such as dresses, blouses, skirts, etc., configured to facilitate nursing of a baby or pumping milk by a mother. One or more openings through the garment may be provided to access one or both breasts, for example. Various features are provided to facilitate discreet access to the mother's breast, including zippers to open and close the openings and flaps of garment material to cover the openings.

The appearance of many nursing garments may not be stylish, flattering, or professional because the functional requirements of the garment may not be aesthetically pleasing.

“Invisible” zippers are used to camouflage the presence of the zippers by using zippers having the same color as the surrounding materials. In another example, zipper teeth are provided beneath seams.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, known techniques for closing or covering openings to access the breasts may be difficult to use. In addition, invisible zippers, which are apparent upon close inspection, are not effective in concealing the nature of the garment, even if the zipper is the same color as the surrounding material. If the zipper teeth are covered by a seam, the zipper head still needs to be exposed for read access. Known flaps either do not sufficiently obscure the breast for privacy, are difficult to use, and/or are not aesthetically pleasing.

In accordance with embodiments of the invention, improved techniques are provided for both easy and discreet breast feeding and pumping. In accordance with one embodiment, zippers are completely hidden from view by flaps that cover the entire zipper, and pockets that cover the zipper head. In accordance with another embodiment, an internal lining is provided with a periphery that is only partially attached to an interior surface of the nursing garment. This allows the lining to be lifted and/or moved a wearer's nursing bra and breast, and then lowered to cover much of the breast during nursing and pumping. An elastic band may be provided along a lower edge of the lining to help maintain the lining in position selected by the wearer.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a nursing garment is disclosed comprising clothing material defining a first opening through the material, proximate a wearer's first breast and a second opening through the material proximate the wearer's second breast, when the garment is worn by the wearer. A first zipper is provided to selectively open and close the first opening, and a second zipper is provided to selectively open and close the second opening. The first and second zippers comprise zipper teeth and a zipper head. The material further defines first and second flaps proximate the first and second zippers, respectively. The first flap is configured to substantially cover the first zipper teeth and the first zipper head of the first zipper, and the second flap further defines a second flap configured to substantially cover the second zipper teeth and second zipper head of the second zipper. The nursing garment further comprises an inner lining having a front portion extending in front of and below the user's breasts when wearing the garment. The inner lining has a first, upper periphery portion connected, at least in part, to the material and a second, lower front periphery portion not connected to the material. The second front periphery portion and a portion of the front portion are movable from below the wearer's breasts to above the wearer's breasts to expose at least one cup of the nursing bra and/or at least one breast.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a nursing garment comprises clothing material defining an opening through the material proximate a breast of a wearer, when the garment is worn by the wearer, and a connector to close the at least one opening. A section of the material completely covers the connector. The connector may comprise one or more zippers, buttons, Velcro, etc., for example.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a nursing garment comprises clothing material defining an opening through the material proximate a breast of a wearer, when the garment is worn by the wearer. An inner lining has a front portion extending in front of and below the user's breasts when wearing the garment, the inner lining having a first, upper periphery portion connected, at least in part, to the material and a second, lower front periphery portion not connected to the material, wherein the second front periphery portion and a portion of the front portion are movable from below the wearer's breasts to above the wearer's breasts to expose at least one cup of the nursing bra and/or at least one breast. An elastic band may be provided along a lower edge of the lining, to allow a wearer to adjust a position of the liner during nursing and pumping to reduce exposure of one or both breasts. The lining may comprise a different material than the clothing material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1A is a front view of an example of a dress configured as a nursing garment in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 1B is a partial cross-sectional view of the dress of FIG. 1A, along line 1B-1B of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the front of the dress 10, showing only one flap over a zipper and a zipper head, and accompanying structure from FIG. 1B.

FIG. 2 shows the dress of FIG. 1A, on a woman, also referred to as a “wearer,” shown in phantom and wearing a belt;

FIG. 3A shows the dress of FIG. 2, partially unzipped;

FIG. 3B is a front view of the example of nursing garment in the form of a blouse, where zipper heads are hidden from view by pockets.

FIG. 4A is an example of a lining attached to an upper portion of an inner surface of the garment, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 4B-4D show various stages in the manufacture of the nursing garment, in accordance with embodiments of the invention; and

FIGS. 5-8 show various steps in the use of the nursing garment by a wearer, in accordance with embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1A is a front view of an example of dress 10 configured as a nursing garment, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. A top, such as a shirt, blouse, sweater, or T-shirt, or other types of garments, for example, may be similarly configured as nursing garments, in accordance with this embodiment.

In this example, the material of the dress 10 defines a first opening or slit selectively opened and closed by a first zipper 12. The opening and zipper 12 are positioned to be in front of or at a side of one breast of a woman when wearing the dress. A second opening or slit selectively opened and closed a second zipper 14 is positioned in front of or at a side of the other breast of the woman when wearing the dress. A front portion 10 a of the dress 10 is shown. The dress 10 may comprise any natural, synthetic, or blended clothing material, such as cotton, wool, rayon, nylon, polyester, or a combination thereof

In this example, the dress 10 includes a plurality of flaps or pleats 16 defined by the material of the dress. The zippers 12, 14, which are shown in phantom, are completely behind respective flaps or pleats 16 to block the zippers from view. In this example, the zipper 12 is behind the leftmost flap 16 a and the zipper 14 is behind the rightmost flap 16 b. Additional flaps 16 may be provided between the flaps 16 a, 16 b in this example, but that depends on the design of the dress 10 and is not required. The lengths of the zippers 12, 14, from the zipper heads 12 a, 14 a, to the zipper ends, 12 b, 14 b, are shown. The zippers 12, 14 in this example extend substantially vertically. By “substantially vertical” is meant vertical and up to 10% from vertical. The zippers 12, 14 may extend at different angles, as well. In this example, the flaps 16 a, 16 b are at the same angle as the zippers 12, 14, respectively.

FIG. 1B is a top, partial, cross-sectional view of the dress 10 of FIG. 1B, along line 1B-1B of FIG. 1A, showing respective flaps 16 a, 16 b extending over the zipper heads 12 a, 14 a of the zippers 12, 14. Additional flaps 16 (but not necessarily all of the flaps 16 between 16 a and 16 b) are shown. The flaps 16 in this example comprise a plurality of folds in the material of the front of the dress 10. In FIG. 1B, the zippers 12, 14 are shown larger and further from a front surface of the dress 10 than they may be on an actual dress, for illustrative purposes. The flaps 16 are also shown spread apart and farther from the front surface of the dress than they would be, for illustrative purposes. An inner lining 22 is also shown, as discussed further below.

In FIG. 1B, the flaps 16 a and 16 b completely cover the zipper heads 12 a, 14 a, including the zipper heads 12 a, 14 a, as well as the zipper teeth. The zippers 12, 14 are at a location on the surface of the dress that is at or close to the start of the inner curve the flap, as it protrudes from the front surface, to facilitate coverage of the zippers. The flaps 16 a, 16 b have a large enough width “W” to extend completely across the zippers 12, 14, including the zipper head 12 a, 14 a. In this example, all of the flaps 16 have the same width, but that is not required. The flaps 16 a, 16 b may have a width W of from about 0.5 inches to about 1.5 inches or more, for example. The width W may be from about 1 inch to about 1.5 inches, for example. It would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the zipper 12 typically lies along or closer to the surface of the front portion 10 a of the dress 10 and the flaps 16 a, 16 b also lie closer to and at least partially against the surface of the front portion. The zippers 12, 14 and their zipper heads 12 a, 14 a, are thereby further covered and obscured by the flaps 16 a, 16 b. FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the front of the dress 10, showing only the flap 16 a over the zipper 12 and zipper head 12 a, and accompanying structure of FIG. 1B, more accurately. The zipper 14 and the zipper head 14 a are similarly covered by the flap 14 a. By covering the zippers 12, 14 and zipper heads 14, 14 a, the maternity garment 10 is more aesthetically pleasing and breast feeding/pumping may be more discreet.

In other examples, only two flaps or pleats 16 a, 16 b may be provided, one to cover each zippers 12, 14. In other examples, the zippers 12, 14 may be hidden behind seams and pockets, for example, as discussed below with respect to FIG. 3B. It is noted that one or neither of the zippers 12, 14 may be provided and the provided zipper may be exposed in whole or in part, in conjunction with other embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows the nursing garment 10 the dress 10 of FIG. 1A, worn with a belt 18. The dress 10 is shown being worn by a woman 20, also referred to as a “wearer,” shown in phantom. In FIG. 2, the flap 16 a is partially moved away from its normally flat position against the surface of the garment 10, showing the zipper head 12 a, and several of the teeth of the zipper 12, while the remainder of the zipper 12 is in phantom behind the flap, as in FIG. 1A. The zipper 14, which is in the same location as in FIGS. 1A, 1B is not shown in this view.

FIG. 3A shows the dress 10 of FIG. 2 with the zipper 12 unzipped, opening the opening or slit and revealing a region X of the wearer beneath the dress. The unzipped teeth of the zipper 12 are not shown in FIG. 3 for ease of illustration, but it is apparent that teeth of the zipper are along the boundaries of the blouse 10 along the open region X. The teeth 12 c of the zipper 12 are shown in FIG. 7. A lining 22 is shown behind the front portion 10 a of the dress 10. The lining 22 is also shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1A. FIG. 3A also shows a separate nursing bra 24 in phantom, under the lining 22. The design of the nursing bra 24 is not part of embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is another example of nursing garment that is in the form of a blouse 34, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. In this example, invisible zippers 35 a, 35 b are hidden by seams 36 a, 36 b. The invisible zippers 35 a, 35 b are shown in phantom adjacent to the seams 36 a, 36 b for illustrative purposes. The zippers 35 a, 35 b are actually along the seams 36 a, 36 b, as is known in the art. To overcome the need for the zipper heads 37 a, 36 b to be outside of the seams 36 a, 36 b, the ends 35 c, 35 d of the zippers 35 a, 35 b, respectively, are at an upper part of the blouse 34 and the zippers extend into the pockets 38 a, 38 b when the zippers are zipped. The pocket material 38 a, 38 b thereby hides the zipper heads 37 a, 37 b from view when the openings/slits are closed. To open the openings/slits, the wearer 20 reaches into a pocket 38 a, 38 b, grasps a respective zipper head 37 a, 37 b, and pulls the zipper head up towards the ends 35 c, 35 d. Front edges of the front of the liner 22 is also shown in phantom, as discussed further below.

FIG. 4A shows a rear view of the front portion 10 a of the dress 10, showing a rear surface of the lining 22 attached to the front portion. The lining 22 may define an opening 24 to receive a head, and openings 26 to receive respective arms of the wearer 20, in positions corresponding to the positions of the head opening 24 a and the arm holes 26 a and of the dress 10. The bottom 30 of the lining 22 is open and is not attached to the front portion of the dress 10. The bottom 30 of the lining 22 may include an elastic band 32, such as an elastic lace band, for example. The elastic band 32 may be along or extend from the bottom edge of the lining 22. The elastic band may be configured to fit snugly against the torso of the wearer 20, below the wearer's breasts and nursing bra 24.

In FIG. 4A, only an upper portion “A” of the front periphery of the lining 22 is attached to the dress 10 along an upper portion of its periphery of the dress. At least a portion of front, lower portion B of the front periphery is not attached to dress, in accordance with this embodiment of the invention. In this example, the upper portion A of the lining 22 is attached to the dress 10 around the neck and arm holes 24, 24 a, 26, 26 a of the lining 22 and the dress 10, as indicated by dashed lines 28. The periphery B of the front lower portion 30, including the elastic edge band 32, is not attached to the dress 10. The portion of the lining 22 attached to the dress 10 may depend, in part, on the design of the dress 10. The lining 22 may be attached by being sewed to the garment, for example. The lining 20 may be attached by other methods, as well. The lining 22 may also be removably attached by Velcro or buttons, for example. The periphery of the upper portion A of the lining 22 may be similarly attached to the rear inner surface of the garment and to the front portion of the dress 10, as shown in FIG. 4C.

FIG. 4B is a breakaway view of the dress 10 of FIG. 1, showing the front portion 10 a and a rear portion 10 b of the dress and a front portion 22 a and rear portion 22 b of the lining 22. The lining 22 may be formed of front 22 a and rear 22 b pieces that are sewed or otherwise attached to each along one or two seams to form a one-piece lining, as indicated in FIG. 4B by lines 40. The front and rear portions 22 a, 22 b of the lining 22 may be attached to each other at corresponding locations of the front and rear portions, such as at the tops 42 and sides 44 of the portions. The lining 22 may then be attached to the front and rear portions 10 a, 10 b of the dress 10 at the top shoulders 46 a, around the head opening 24 a, and around the arm openings 26 a, 26 b, as indicated by the lines 48 a, 48 b in FIG. 4C.

In the example of FIG. 4B, the rear lining 22 b comprises separate right and left portions 23 a, 23 b that are distanced from each other when the lining 22 is attached to the dress so that the separation is adjacent to a rear zipper 50 on the back of the dress 10. Separating the right and left portions 23 a, 23 b adjacent the zipper 50 when the lining 22 is attached to the dress 10 facilitates putting on and taking off of the dress. If the nursing garment 10 is a blouse or shirt with front buttons or another garment that opens in the front, such as a jacket or sweatshirt, for example, the front portion 22 a of the lining 22 may be formed of two pieces and the rear portion 22 b may be one piece, to allow the blouse/shirt to be buttoned and unbuttoned to be put on an taken off. Two front pieces may be used in the blouse 34 of FIG. 3B to form the front inner lining 22, for example. The facing edges of the two front pieces be angled toward each other to follow the V-neck of the blouse 34, for example, as shown in FIG. 3B.

In another example, the entire lining 20 may be formed in one-piece. In this example, the side edges of the one piece lining 20 may be folded to approach each other and then be attached to the rear 10 b and front 10 a inner sides of the dress 10 so that the side edges are separated from each other, adjacent to the zipper 50.

Since the dress 10 and the lining 22 are separate pieces that are connected to each other in this example, the dress and the lining may be made of different materials. The front piece 22 a and the rear piece(s) 22 b (23 a, 23 b) may be cut from woven or knitted material that has elastic characteristics, for example. The lining 22 may also comprise mechanical stretch material, such as polyester, for example. Triacetate or modal cotton may also be used, for example. The lining 22 may comprise wicking material, to absorb moisture, such as leaking breast milk and sweat.

The front and rear pieces 22 a, 22 b may be sewed or otherwise connected to each other along their outer edges, as shown in FIG. 4B, and then sewed to the front and rear of the dress, as shown in FIG. 4C, for example. As discussed above, in one example, the lining 22 is attached to the shoulder, neck, and arms of the front and rear 10 a, 10 b of the dress, as indicated in FIG. 4C. The lining 22 is attached to the front and rear portions 10 a, 10 b of the dress 10 at the top shoulders 46 a, around the head opening 24 a, and around the arm openings 26 a, 26 b, as indicated by the lines 48 a, 48 b, as shown in FIG. 4C.

FIG. 4D shows the portions 49 of the rear pieces 23 a, 23 b that may be connected to the rear portion 10 of the dress 10, in this example. At least a portion of the inner edges 51 of the rear pieces 23 a, 23 b are connected to the rear portion 10 adjacent to the zipper or other connector 50, along the edge 49 a. Instead of sewing or otherwise connecting the entire inner edges 51 to the rear portion 10 b of the dress 10, a clasp or other type of connector may be provided along a portion of the inner edges 51 for connection to each other, and another portion of the inner edges may be connected to the rear portion 10.

In one example, to put on the dress 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the wearer 20 puts their head and arms through the opening at the bottom 30 of the lining 22, and then through the openings 26 for the arms and head 24. In another example, depending on the styles of the garment, the wearer 20 may step into and out of the garment.

In use in one example, when a wearer 20 needs to nurse a child or pump to collect milk from a breast, she may access one of the zippers 12, 14 on the side of the garment 10 in front of that breast by moving the respective flap 16 a, 16 b aside with a hand, as shown in FIG. 5, for example. The wearer 20 may then unzip the appropriate zipper 12, 14, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, revealing the lining 22 behind the zipper. The lining 22 is in a first position where the elastic band 22 is below the nursing bra 24.

The wearer 20 then moves the bottom, elastic band 32 of the lining 22, and the lower front lining material, up and over the wearer's nursing bra 24 to a second position sufficient, to access the nursing bra, as shown in FIG. 6. Since the elastic band 30 and the lower front portion of the lining 22 are not attached to the dress 10, the elastic band and lower portion of the lining 22 may be easily moved to the desired second position. The woman 20 may then access the nursing bra, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 7 also shows the separated teeth 12 c of the zipper 12, and the zipper head 12 a, as noted above.

The nursing bra 24 may be any type of nursing bra. In the example of FIG. 7, the nursing bra 24 has one or more snaps 62 which are released to expose the wearer's breast, as shown in FIG. 8. The second position of the elastic band 32 is such that the snaps 62 may be readily accessed. If the woman's nursing bra 24 does not include snaps 60, then the cup supporting the respective breast may be moved aside to expose the breast.

After the breast is exposed, the elastic band 32 and front lining 22 may be moved back down toward its original, first position in FIG. 3 to a third position between the second and third positions, to cover at least part of the breast, thereby at least partially obscuring the breast during nursing or pumping, as indicated by arrow “C” in FIG. 8. The elastic band 32 helps to maintain the lining in the desired position. The position of the elastic band 32 may be adjusted during nursing/pumping, as desired. This enables more discreet nursing/pumping. The respective flaps 16 a, 16 b may also partially obscure the breast, including a portion of a nipple, as shown in FIG. 8, contributing to more discreet nursing/pumping.

When the woman 20 wants to nurse/pump from the other breast, the woman reattaches the cup of the nursing bra 24, repositions the lining 22 over the nursing bra, and zips up the zipper 12 via the zipper head 12 a. The woman 20 may then reveal the portion of the lining 20 in front of the other breast, and then proceeds as described above with respect to FIGS. 5-8.

In another example, both zippers 12 a, 12 b maybe unzipped, the lining 22 lifted above both cups of the nursing bra 24, and both cups opened to expose both breasts for simultaneous pumping of both breasts by an automatic double pump.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments of the invention described above, and that such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined by the claims below. 

I claim:
 1. A nursing garment comprising: clothing material defining a first opening through the material, proximate a wearer's first breast and a second opening through the material proximate the wearer's second breast, when the garment is worn by the wearer; a first zipper to selectively open and close the first opening, the zipper comprising zipper teeth and a zipper head; a second zipper to selectively open and close the second opening, the second zipper comprising second zipper teeth connected to opposing sides of the opening and a second zipper head; wherein the material further defines: a first flap proximate the first zipper, the first flap being configured to substantially cover the first zipper teeth and the first zipper head of the first zipper; and a second flap proximate the second zipper, the second flap being configured to substantially cover the second zipper teeth and second zipper head of the second zipper; the nursing garment further comprising: an inner lining having a periphery having a front portion extending in front of and below the user's breasts when wearing the garment, the inner lining having a first, upper periphery portion connected, at least in part, to the material and a second, lower front periphery portion not connected to the material, wherein the second front periphery portion and a portion of the front portion are movable from below the wearer's breasts to above the wearer's breasts to expose at least one cup of the nursing bra and/or at least one breast.
 2. The nursing garment of claim 1, further comprising an elastic band at a bottom of the lining.
 3. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein: the material further defines openings for arms and a head; and the lining further defines respective openings for arms and an opening for the head proximate the locations of the arms and legs of the openings for the garment.
 4. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein: the material defines a rear opening; the garment further comprises a connector to close the opening; and the lining further defines a rear opening proximate the opening on the rear portion of the garment.
 5. The nursing garment of claim 4, wherein the lining comprises a front portion and a rear portion connected to each other.
 6. The nursing garment of claim 4, wherein the rear portion comprises first and second portions separated by a distance to define the opening in the lining.
 7. The nursing garment of claim 1, wherein the zippers extend substantially vertically and the flaps over the respective zippers extend at the same angle as the zippers.
 8. The nursing garment of claim 1, configured to form a dress, a blouse, a sweater, poncho, a T-shirt, or a jacket.
 9. A nursing garment comprising: clothing material defining an opening through the material proximate a breast of a wearer, when the garment is worn by the wearer; and a connector to close the at least one opening; wherein a section of the material completely covers the connector.
 10. The nursing garment of claim 9, wherein: the connector comprises a zipper including zipper teeth and a zipper head; and


11. The nursing garment of claim 10, wherein the section of the material defines a flap to cover the zipper including the zipper teeth and the zipper head.
 12. The nursing garment of claim 10, wherein material defines a seam to over the zipper teeth, the garment further comprising: a pocket to receive at least the zipper head.
 13. The nursing garment of claim 9, further comprising: an inner lining having a periphery having a front portion extending in front of and below the user's breasts when wearing the garment, the inner lining having a first, upper periphery portion connected, at least in part, to the material and a second, lower front periphery portion not connected to the material, wherein the second front periphery portion and a portion of the front portion are movable from below the wearer's breasts to above the wearer's breasts to expose at least one cup of the nursing bra and/or at least one breast.
 14. The nursing garment of claim 1, configured to form a dress, a blouse, a sweater, poncho, a T-shirt, or a jacket.
 15. A nursing garment comprising: clothing material defining an opening through the material proximate a breast of a wearer, when the garment is worn by the wearer; and an inner lining having a periphery having a front portion extending in front of and below the user's breasts when wearing the garment, the inner lining having a first, upper periphery portion connected, at least in part, to the material and a second, lower front periphery portion not connected to the material, wherein the second front periphery portion and a portion of the front portion are movable from below the wearer's breasts to above the wearer's breasts to expose at least one cup of the nursing bra and/or at least one breast.
 16. The nursing garment of claim 15, wherein the second, front periphery portion has: a first position in front of and extending below the user's breasts; a second position above the wearer's breasts to expose at least one cup of the nursing bra and/or at least one breast; and a third position between the second and third positions, during nursing and/or pumping.
 17. The nursing garment of claim 15, further comprising an elastic band along a lower edge of the lining.
 18. The nursing garment of claim 15, wherein the lining comprises a different material than the clothing material. 